2025 Chevrolet Equinox Drops 2.0-Liter Engines, Debuts ACTIV Trim for Outdoor Fans

The sales runner-up in the Chevy lineup (second only to the venerable Silverado pickup truck), the new Equinox will come in later this year as a 2025 model. The new generation of the popular small SUV brings three variants: LT, RS, and ACTIV. The base LS version of the current generation is eliminated, and the range-topping RS drops in the middle, leaving the throne to the ACTIV. Each version is easily distinguishable by its personalized styling – particularly of the front fascia.

This all-new trim level roots for more free-spirited customers who prefer the great outdoors to the concrete realities of urban and metropolitan conglomerations. All-terrain tires and 17-inch machined-face aluminum wheels, heated and ventilated seats for four of the five passengers (only the outboard ones on the rear), with Evotex and suede-microfiber upholstery, are some of this Chevrolet’s traits.

The 2025 Equinox is 2.3 inches (58.4 mm) wider than the present generation-three model, and squared-off wheel arches and fender flares move the visual impression more toward the rugged side of Chevrolet. Optional 20-inch aluminum wheels would only add to the brawny stance of the boxy-profiled Equinox.

Since all new cars are infotainment-centric, two main screens dominate the dashboard – the driver’s instrumentation is displayed on an 11-inch monitor. The 11.3-inch main screen (roughly one-third bigger than the current offers in the four-gen Equinoxes) is the entertainment core for the music-media-maps and all other connected services (courtesy of Google). This display is also driver-biased, being marginally turned toward the driver.

The traditional gearbox stick on the console is eliminated in favor of a new Electronic Precision Shift lever on the column. The steering wheel is heated (a standard feature, just like the heated front seats), and the RS offers the choice of a flat-bottom wheel. The rear bench splits 60/40, increasing the cargo bay volume to 63.5 cubic feet (1,800 liters), more than 100% over the regular 29.8 cubic feet (845-liter) trunk. (There’s a hidden storage compartment under the floor in the rear, too).

Safety-wise, the new Equinox is backed by the standard Chevy Safety Assist suite. The full list of features is found in the document attached at the end of this article. Some key elements include Automatic Emergency Braking, Forward Collision Alert, Front Pedestrian and Bicyclist Braking, or Lane Keep Assist with Lane Departure Warning.

Regardless of the selected trim level, all the 2025 Equinoxes have the Teen Driver technology. The parental control system allows adults to activate customizable vehicle settings and monitor their teens’ road behavior via the new Connected Teen Driver setting in the myChevrolet mobile app.

In the powertrain department, the new Equinox still relies on the tried and tested inline-four 1.5-liter turbocharged engine that makes 175 hp (178 PS), just like the current iteration found on the nameplate. The all-aluminum engine benefits from the automatic Start/Stop technology. The oversquare powerplant (2.9-inch bore x 3.4-inch stroke / 74 mm x 86.6 mm) has two different torque outputs (driveline-dependent): 184 lb-ft (250 Nm) for the front-wheel-drive platforms and 203 lb-ft (275 Nm) for the AWD variants.

The FWD can be configured with a continuously variable transmission, but the off-road-ready 4x4 relies on a Hydra-Matic 8T45 automatic with eight forward ranges. Also, the latter can tow up to 1,500 pounds (680 kg); the front-axle-driven 2025 Equinox can only pull 800 lbs. behind it (363 kg).

The higher trim levels, the RS and ACTIV, introduce selectable driving modes. The rotary knob on the console gives the driver a choice of Normal or Snow on 2WD models, and Off-Road is available on 4x4-equipped vehicles. The new Equinox sits on a 107.5-inch wheelbase (2,730 mm), and boasts an overall length of 183 inches (4.65 meters). The compact Chevrolet SUV is 74.9 inches wide (1.9 meters) and 75.6 inches tall (1,667 mm). the car tips the scale at 3,428 lbs (1.55 tons).

For now, Chevrolet hasn’t specified the release date, limiting to giving a timeframe that expands to the end of this year. Since neither prices nor other delivery-related info is available yet, we’ll assume the 2025 Chevrolet Equinox will be launched, most probably in Q4.